Narcissism
“To me you are perfect. And my wasted heart will love you. Until you look like this... Merry Christmas. (Love Actually, movie)” Now, you would have probably recognized this quote if you have seen the fabulous movie called “Love Actually.” I knew that you will nod in assent! Well, let’s say that you are looking at a guy who has cards like Andrew Lincoln had. Let’s also say that he was doing all these stuffs with love cards. And in front him, there is a beautiful woman... oops let me rephrase that. In front of him, there is a mirror. Whoever he is, he was looking at the mirror. He was saying the beautiful quote to himself. We call this ‘Narcissism’. If you are a Korean, ‘prince/princess disease’ will be more comfortable. In this essay, you’ll get to know what Narcissism is.
The word Narcissism came from a Greek myth. There was a guy named Narcissus. Narcissus was a very charming macho man. Many women adored Narcissus, but he had no interest in women. There was a nymph named Echo who especially liked Narcissus. But like he did to every woman, he refused. Echo got so hurt that she died, calling Narcissus. So a goddess put a curse on Narcissus. One day, Narcissus was bending down to a pond to drink water because he was thirsty after hunting. When he saw his reflection on water, he suddenly fell in love with it. Narcissus was furious to be with his reflection, so he decided to stay next to his reflection. He did not eat nor sleep. Then one day, Narcissus died. The word Narcissism occurred after Narcissus’s death. Because Narcissus was the first one in the World who has fallen in love with themselves, the combined his name ‘Narcissus’ with the word that usually describes diseases ‘sm’ and create a new vocabulary called ‘Narcissism’. Then, people started to use the word Narcissism if they see someone who loves themselves too much.
Narcissism is a psychotic disorder. In easy words, it means Narcissism is a mental disease. Falling in deep love with yourself that it even blocks you from eating, studying and sleeping is not possible with normal people. There was an article about this issue, made by Alvarez. They said when a person chooses a mate; they usually consider their age, family relationship, education, characteristic… et cetera. But if a person with Narcissism looks at themselves, they ‘seek criteria of beauty or reproductive fitness in the context of self-reference (Wikipedia)’. Though Narcissism can be healed, it is best for you to not get involved.
Narcissism is important and both dangerous at the same time. If you love yourself too much, you won’t be able to do other things like Narcissus did. So it’s very important to balance the amount of love. If you go crazy on yourself, you’ll have both internal and external difficulties. Like no one will want to go near you if you have Narcissism. And your parents will send you to a physiologist. Also, if you love yourself too much, you won’t be able to do school works because you’ll be too busy, thinking about yourself. But for the most important part- you’ll get hurt. It’s same with when you love others. You will always think of them, and you will always want to see him/her. And because it is not possible to go on a date with your reflection, you’ll get depression. So it’s extremely important to balance the amount of love you’re giving. Or else, you might be left with serious consequences.
Narcissism is from a Greek mythology. Narcissism happens when you love yourself so much that you won’t be able to do other things. It is very important not to have Narcissism because Narcissism is a physiological disease. You might get depression by loving yourself and it can lead you to death. Just remember. All kinds of love have its boundaries that you shall never cross…
